Country Canada Settled 1952 Time zone EST (UTC−5) Area 1,028 km² Local time Saturday 12:23 PM RCM Nord-du-Québec | Region Nord-du-Québec Constituted November 8, 1952 Postal code(s) G8P Population 7,541 (2011) Province Québec | |
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Weather -21°C, Wind NW at 23 km/h, 60% Humidity | ||
Chibougamau is a town in central Quebec, Canada, located on Lake Gilman. It has a population of 7,541 people (Canada 2011 Census). Chibougamau is completely surrounded by, but not part of, the Municipality of Baie-James.
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Map of Chibougamau, QC, Canada
Due to its remoteness from Lac Saint-Jean (over 200 km (124 mi) south-east) and Abitibi-Témiscamingue (over 250 km (155 mi) south-west) areas, Chibougamau provides services for the few small communities surrounding it (Mistissini, Oujé-Bougoumou and Chapais) and for the regional resource-based industries. Despite Chibougamau's remoteness, it is only about as far north as Winnipeg.
Nearby are Lake Aux Dorés and the vast Lake Chibougamau, after which the town was named. Chibougamau means "Gathering place" in the Cree language. The neighbouring Cree village of Oujé-Bougoumou is a more traditional Cree spelling of the same name.
The area surrounding Lake Gilman is Obalski Park. Its amenities include a beach, pier, picnic tables, cabins, among others. The many trails allow for hiking, cycling, cross-country skiing, or even snowmobiling through the park's boreal forest.
Access to the town is by Route 167 from Lac Saint-Jean and by Route 113 from Lebel-sur-Quevillon. Chibougamau's airport is along Route 113, about halfway to Chapais.
History
The area has long been part of the Cree territory. It was in the early 17th century that French explorers and traders, including Charles Albanel in 1671, came to the Lake Chibougamau area. However, no permanent European settlements were established at that time.
Only in the late 19th Century did the area attract the interest of mining prospectors. When gold was discovered in 1903, there were periods of intense exploration. Due to difficulty of access, no lasting development took place at that time. Not until 1949 was copper first exploited, with the opening of a multi-metallic mine in the area, and a permanent community was established in 1952. Chibougamau started out as a company town but soon after, in 1954, it was incorporated as a municipality. Many mines have exploited the area since. While still thought of as a mining town, Chibougamau is now also the centre of a large logging and sawmill industry.
During the 1950s and 1960s, the Royal Canadian Air Force operated a radar station in Chibougamau as part of the Pinetree Line.
Since December 2001, the mayor of Chibougamau is also part of the municipal council of Municipality of Baie-James.
The city is home to an annual "Folies frettes" festival ("Cold Follies") and a snowmobile rally.
Demographics
Private dwellings occupied by usual residents: 3222 (total dwellings: 3474)
First language:
Education
French-language schools in Chibougamau, past and present, are:
The English-language school is MacLean Memorial School [1], formerly Chibougamau Protestant School. There also used to be a Catholic English-language school called Holy Family School.
Climate
Chibougamau has a subarctic climate (Köppen climate classification Dfc), despite being located just south of 50 degrees latitude. Winters are long, cold, and snowy with a January high of −13.5 °C (7.7 °F) and a low of −24.2 °C (−11.6 °F). Summers are warm though short with a July high of 22.2 °C (72.0 °F) and a low of 10.5 °C (50.9 °F). Overall precipitation is high for a subarctic climate with an average annual precipitation of 996 millimetres (39 in) and 313 centimetres (123 in) of snow per season. Precipitation is significant year round though February through April are drier.